About Us

ABOUT PET FRIENDSPET FRIENDS is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that benefits homeless companion animals of San Benito County. Our Mission is to eliminate cruelty and neglect of abandoned companion animals and to encourage a community atmosphere of education, care, and concern that will strengthen the human/animal bond. To accomplish this mission, PET FRIENDS has established:

Assist in controlling and maintaining the county feral cat population by offering specially priced spay and neuter services at our clinic for ferals

Retrieval, fostering, and adoption of healthy companion animals into caring and loving homes

Pet Friends’ animal intake protocol is to rescue adoptable companion animals from Hollister Animal Control only and provide them with a permanent shelter environment while awaiting their new home.

Provide relief for displaced animals during emergencies

OUR HISTORYPET FRIENDS has accomplished much since its organization in October 1991. A small group of caring people met in a private home and at the first meeting planned a pet fair and rummage sale for the next Saturday, produced a flyer stating the mission of PET FRIENDS, prepared containers to collect monies at various locations and made a list of possible fund raising events. Immediately a non-profit designation was pursued and a membership drive was initiated. All work was done by volunteers giving of time and money to help homeless animals.Seldom a week went by without a fundraiser or participation in a community event. There were enchilada sales, pizza parties, bake sales, Halloween haunted houses, parade participation, the county fair, Christmas tree decorating and pictures with Santa and more.Pet fairs were held at various locations, which meant we would haul tables, chairs, signs, paperwork, a shade, water/food, and most importantly all the animals that were being fostered by volunteers. Two or three times a month we would get together in front of Target, Kmart, and other locations to showcase and adopt our cats and dogs.

From October 1991 to November 1996, PET FRIENDS had no “home”. All cats and dogs were fostered in individual homes. The animals were taken to St. Francis of Assisi in San Martin for health checks and spay/neuter prior to their adoption. In November 1996, property was purchased on Buena Vista Road…PET FRIENDS had found a permanent home.On the property was an unfinished metal barn building with no doors and a dirt floor, a mobile home, a dying/dead walnut orchard, a whole lot of thistles and weeds and not a lot of anything else. There was work to be done and in the meantime the animals had to be housed and cared for. The animals had it really good, it was the volunteers that had it rough…no hot water, the wash stations were outdoors – rain or shine, hot weather or freezing cold – every day all kennels were cleaned and disinfected as were the food and water dishes and litter boxes. Laundry was taken home to be washed each night. Our volunteers were dedicated.

Finally, in September 1997 we had our Founders Day/Open House, the floor had been poured in the main building We still had a long way to go but we felt we had reached a milestone. The office, kitchen, conference room, prep/laundry area and kitten room still needed to be finished and ready for occupancy. Again, thanks to our numerous volunteers, our animals had no lack of socialization…the dogs were walked and trained and the cats and kittens played with and groomed. The volunteers also held plant sales, new and gently used item sales, teas, a blessing of the animals and a 5K dog run/walk. We were involved in community events and we had classrooms of children coming to visit to learn about animal care and to play with the animals.

The year 2000 brought us new expansion,with help from a local contractor, our current dog kennel and a building to house our adult cats were built. We continue to update and improve the PET FRIENDS Center as finances permit and incorporate new and innovative ideas in animal care and housing when practical. And we continue to reach out to the community through seniors, the schools, HOPE and the Boy and Girl Scouts. With the help of volunteers we are making the Center attractive to people – since it is people who adopt the animals. We encourage those interested in wild native plants, herbs, bird watching or just sitting for awhile in a peaceful place to discover PET FRIENDS. It has been said “You can measure the size of the heart of a community in two ways: First, check its cemeteries to evaluate how well they care for their dead. Second, check its history of care for the unwanted, abandoned and needy cats, kittens, dogs, puppies and other domesticated animals.” Instead of continuing to build new facilities and hiring additional personnel to care for the unwanted, homeless dogs and cats PET FRIENDS recognizes that the only way to halt the proliferation of animals was to establish a low cost spay/neuter program. Our Low Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic has been open since June 2010. As of August 2012, our clinic has spayed or neutered 689 dogs, 642 cats and 129 feral cats for a total of 1,460 animals. You can make a difference too…be a part of PET FRIENDS future. It has been twenty years since we began this journey, along with the bumps in the road there have been many more successes and accomplishments, however, we have only begun…we will not be finished until there are no more homeless, unwanted cats and dogs